A range of electronic devices use display screens. Such devices include desktop computers, laptop computers, hand-held computers, cell phones, PDAs, music players, video players, video games, portable email devices, GPSs, cameras, barcode scanners, as well as a variety of industrial and commercial special-purpose devices. Typically, portable devices use flat-panel displays, which are most commonly LCD (liquid crystal displays) but may also, be other technologies, including organic electroluminescent or organic LED, or other flat-screen technologies.
The majority of electronic devices currently in use have a single display. However, there are patents that describe electronic devices that utilize multiple displays. For example, Moscovitch (U.S. Pat. No. 6,343,006) teaches how to place multiple displays on base with supporting arms. However, Moscovitch does not teach how to have a second display that is hidden or protected, and Moscovitch does not teach how to use applications on the second display.
Wen (U.S. Pat. No. 7,075,597) teaches how to stack two LCD displays on top of one another. Wen does not teach how to have co-planer displays, both visible at the same time.
Chao (U.S. Pat. No. 7,030,552) teaches how to package two organic electroluminescent displays into one package, but does not teach how to create a movable second display, or how to automatically launch a second application.
Lebby (U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,888) teaches how to place two displays inside an enclosure, but not how to see only one display (the primary display) while hiding and protecting a secondary display. Nor does Lebby teach how to use applications effectively on multiple screens.
Ozolins (U.S. Pat. No. D496,362) teaches an ornamental design for two coplanar screens, but no means to hide or protect the second display when only a single display is required.
Rubincam (U.S. Pat. No. 41,159,417) teaches how to place the contents of a book on a removable memory device, but does not teach how to have only one display visible. Nor does Rubincam teach how to use applications other than for reading a book, magazine, and the like.
Lebby et al (U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,888) teaches how to make a book-like device using a pair of hollow bodies. However, Lebby does not teach how to hide a second display when not required, nor does Lebby teach how to automatically launch additional applications.
For many such devices, the size of the display is a major limitation in both the convenience value of the device as well as the number of applications that the device may realistically run, or display simultaneously.
In desktop computers, multiple displays are utilized in a variety of applications. Typically these displays are either (1) logically connected to provide a single, virtually contiguous display surface, or (2) are operated independently to provide multiple general-purpose display surfaces. In most cases each runs a “windows” graphical user interface, in which the user of the device may select any reasonable number of applications to display simultaneously.
However, for portable devices, with the general exception of laptop computers, no such similar capability exists to readily support two or more simultaneous applications due to the small physical size of the single display.
Therefore, having a second display available for use with portable electronic devices could make the device more capable and more valuable to the user. The downside of dual-displays, as taught in the literature, is that the second display is bulky and thus interferes with the convenience and portability of the device. Paying for the disadvantage of larger physical size when, frequently, only a single application is needed at one time has discouraged device manufacturers from offering dual-screen portable devices.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method to address the above-identified issues. The present invention addresses such a need.